Newsletter June 2019

Margarida Sampaio @

So I am back!  After a short break away I am back with all the latest news and going on in our beautiful Praia do Carvoeiro.  
And it appears that summer is well and truly here now in the town with the restaurants and bars all bustling and the beaches filling up each day and the parking becoming its usual nightmare of involving driving around the town for about 20 minutes before ending up basically in the same place that you started in! 

BLACK AND WHITE FEVER 

The biggest event that takes place in the town for the year has to be Black and White night and it is back this June for everyone to enjoy. 
Traditionally the event takes place on the Saturday closest to the summer solstice which this year happens to 15 June, slightly earlier than we have seen in previous years. 
As soon as the date is published each year those who have been to the event before generally get straight online to book their flights over for the night and this year it looks like we will be seeing a lot of familiar faces donning their best black and white attire! 

The event starts at 8.30pm with the first act on one of the many stages at 8.40pm, however the streets around the centre of the town will be closed to traffic from 6pm so makenote that if you live in the centre and need to get back in then you need to do so before the deadline! 
Already all of the parking spaces have been cut off for the event – making the parking situation in the town even more difficult – however it really is all worth it and when the cars are removed from the town, especially on the O Farol hill, the town has a totally different feel to it and it makes it an enjoyable experience to sit at the bars and restaurants up the hill without having to smell the fumes of the cars! 
Personally, I would love it if the town was always pedestrianised throughout the year, maybe not as far up as the top of the village past Bar 6, but from the cut through on Rua do Barranco all the way up to the junction to the market would be amazing.  Events such as Black and White now prove that it really is possible to do this and just imagine the amount of space we would all have to be able to enjoy the town to the full if we didn’t have traffic in the centre – it would at least stop the confusion down in the square as people try to cross the road to get to the beach! 

Removing the cars in Algarve hot spots such as Praia da Rocha and Lagos have not stopped people from coming to enjoy the towns and cities and have instead helped to encourage local businesses and the lovely Portuguese occupation of passeando to flourish. I know that town planning is always of importance in Carvoeiro and hopefully there is a bit of a rethink about how traffic flows the town at some point in the future.  As someone who lives here and works locally and also needs to use the services of public transport, I really can’t see many downsides to this...if this Black and White night is your first then let us know if you think that stopping the traffic in the centre works or not for you! 

Back to the main event... so with no traffic able to enter or leave the town after 6pm how are you planning to get here – well luckily the council have worked out a solution for this too with a free park and ride service.  The car parks are located at Intermarche, Apolonia and Aldo supermarkets and there is also a huge space opposite Aldi where cars can also park.  Buses will then ship people in and out of Carvoeiro until 4am. 

The main streets of the town will be filled with stages but don’t forget that there is also a stage area up by the church and the school where the ampitheatre will be in use with shows.  After fireworks at midnight it is basically all down to the beach for the dance party on the sand which goes on until 3am. 
What is really amazing about this event is that not only is it totally free, it really is family friendly!  Yes, the crowds in some areas can get a bit much but in general this one really is for all ages with lots of little ones still on the beach into the early hours with their families. 
So what are you waiting for – get your balck and white clothes on (you will regret standing out in your red t-shirt I can assure you) and join us for the biggest Carvoeiro event of the year. 

BEACH TIME 

Black and White is all that is on the lips of most people in the town but we still have lots of other things going on, with live music and karaoke back in all the bars, cocktail happy hours, quiz nights and plenty going on up at the Tennis Club where the new management are working hard to put on new events, charity evenings and more for sports lovers of all ages. 
Back in the centre we have the official bathing season now underway.  This simply means that the lifeguards are back on the beach, we have the warning flags, you can now rent a sunlounger and a shade and the little hut is back open selling ice creams and the such. 

There was quite a big deal made about the new bathing season in Carvoeiro thanks to the blue flag going back up again. This is a sign of water quality, facilities, safety and educational information and Carvoeiro has once again ticked all the boxes.  The beach is also a favourite with many thanks to it having no steps to get on to it making it easy to access if you have a pushchair or difficulties with mobility. 

This year we also have new addition to the beach in the form of a huge UV totem.  This is located to the right hand side of the beach as you enter and has been developed by local school children to help warn against the dangers of sun exposure – something that based on the nuber of very red looking people about the place over the past month or so looks like being is desperate need. 
The totem flashes with the colour representing the level of UV for that time and shows on the totem what the different levels mean and how to take action to protect against UV rays. 
This I think is a great idea and it’s an impressive one from local students but I am not exactly sure about the huge size of the thing! It is slightly reminiscent of the old Nivea balloon on the beach that used to be there (anyone remember that!) - let me know what you think of it when you see it too – and I am also not sure if it works during the evening as I am sure we don’t want any more light pollution on the beach at night. 

WHATS NEW

This time of the year is not usually the one for new businesses opening however we have had a new smoothie café open on Rua do Barranco near to Harrys Bar which is very lovely and of course healthy looking!  I tried a green one that tasted ridiculously healthy so had to follow it up with a glass of wine.  We also have the newly names Casa do Bife up the hill which has been under the very capable management of the team at A Gale, and don’t worry if you are a massive fan of the old Casa do Bife because it is still there – it has just moved a coulple of doors up to A Taberna. 

What is still yet to open is Columbos next to Smilers (well at least the last time I looked).  I believe that this was supposed to open at the beginning of April but while there has been lot’s of work going on in the place the doors have still to open.  I would love to see this place really used to its full potential as it is in a fantastic location and could be a real asset to the town. 

Another relatively new one for the town is that the old Colibri has been taken over (near to Mungo’s Bar). The lovely Yvette who used to work in Smilers Bar is now up here and I was lucky enough to try her tapas for lunch one day last week and all I can say is wow!  I have to say that I think this probably the most authentic Portuguese tapas that I have ever had in Carvoeiro and the price was fantastic with a meat and a cheese tapas board with enough to feed four of us costing 22 euros.  It was great to see the place doing so well and also fantastic to find a place that does something a little different for lunch.  If you are not a tapas fan then they have a great selection of baguettes (not just filled with ham or cheese or ham and cheese) and they have some awesome bottled beers too – well worth a try. 

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER 

June is the month of pushchairs in Carvoeiro and the Algarve thanks to this being a slightly cheaper time of the year to get flights and accommodation before the rush of the school summer holidays.  I would ask you to spare a thought now though for all the parents with kids in Portuguese schools as the summer holidays have already begun here!  Plese be warned if any British parent laments about the six weeks of holidays in the UK I may regret what I say back to them as we face the long 14 week holiday here! 
And so – I am off to put on all my black and white finery for the party of the year – I hope you are all able to join me down on the beach! 

Bjs 
Margardia